“It was a shock,” she said. “I found it myself but my doctor couldn’t find it and when I had a mammogram, it didn’t show it either. Isn’t that amazing?”

Brugo, 76, got treatment for her breast cancer just as her husband, Bob, did for his prostate cancer when he was diagnosed with it a year after Annette learned she had cancer. As cancer survivors, the Mills River couple were among the 14 adults who participated in the first Camp Liberty, a three-day camp for people either receiving treatment for cancer or who have survived cancer. Camp Liberty was held at Bonclarken, a Presbyterian retreat in Flat Rock. All the camp attendees are people who have received their cancer treatment from medical facilities in Henderson County,

The camp, which was created by Pardee Hospital’s Cancer Care Center, is designed to give adult cancer survivors a place to come and spend a few days relaxing and forming friendships with other cancer survivors, said Rhonda Fain, chief radiation therapist at the hospital’s cancer center and camp organizer.

“There are a very limited number of adult cancer camps anywhere in the U.S.,” she said. “This is a place to get them to relax and not think about their treatment and, if they are survivors, to share their experiences with other cancer survivors.”

Camp participants spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in a variety of activities including getting massages, taking yoga classes and making quilt squares, Fain said. The quilt squares will be pieced together for a quilt that will hang in the hospital’s cancer care center, she said.

One of the activities at Camp Liberty was a first for Bob, the Brugos said.

“I’ve never had a manicure before,” he laughed, as he showed off 10 perfectly polished digits. “This was very relaxing. There was a little bit of sharing and a lot of fellowship.”

Annette agreed with him, adding, “It’s a wonderful opportunity to commune with nature and it was very well-organized to be a first time event.”

Camp Liberty was three years in the making, but now that it is off the ground, the hospital is hopeful that attendance will grow over time, said Barbara Platz, vice-president of professional services for Pardee Hospital.

“We intend to make this an annual event,” she said. “Everyone in the cancer care center at the hospital is thrilled that we have a camp.”

The campers had a group photo taken with a framed copy given to each person before they left Sunday following a picnic beside a lake on the Bonclarken property. Many campers approached Fain to get phone numbers for each other so they could stay in touch after everyone went their separate ways, she said.

“Several of them said they are all going to get together once a month for breakfast or something and that’s what I was hoping would happen,” Fain said. “This kind of support outside of their medical team definitely will benefit them later on. I’m very pleased with how things went in our first year.”

<p>FLAT ROCK  Annette Brugo remembers the day 16 years ago when she discovered a lump in her breast like it was yesterday.</p><p>It was a shock, she said. I found it myself but my doctor couldn’t find it and when I had a mammogram, it didn’t show it either. Isn’t that amazing?</p><p>Brugo, 76, got treatment for her breast cancer just as her husband, Bob, did for his prostate cancer when he was diagnosed with it a year after Annette learned she had cancer. As cancer survivors, the Mills River couple were among the 14 adults who participated in the first Camp Liberty, a three-day camp for people either receiving treatment for cancer or who have survived cancer. Camp Liberty was held at Bonclarken, a Presbyterian retreat in Flat Rock. All the camp attendees are people who have received their cancer treatment from medical facilities in Henderson County,</p><p>The camp, which was created by Pardee Hospital’s Cancer Care Center, is designed to give adult cancer survivors a place to come and spend a few days relaxing and forming friendships with other cancer survivors, said Rhonda Fain, chief radiation therapist at the hospital’s cancer center and camp organizer.</p><p>There are a very limited number of adult cancer camps anywhere in the U.S., she said. This is a place to get them to relax and not think about their treatment and, if they are survivors, to share their experiences with other cancer survivors.</p><p>Camp participants spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in a variety of activities including getting massages, taking yoga classes and making quilt squares, Fain said. The quilt squares will be pieced together for a quilt that will hang in the hospital’s cancer care center, she said.</p><p>One of the activities at Camp Liberty was a first for Bob, the Brugos said.</p><p>I’ve never had a manicure before, he laughed, as he showed off 10 perfectly polished digits. This was very relaxing. There was a little bit of sharing and a lot of fellowship.</p><p>Annette agreed with him, adding, It’s a wonderful opportunity to commune with nature and it was very well-organized to be a first time event.</p><p>Camp Liberty was three years in the making, but now that it is off the ground, the hospital is hopeful that attendance will grow over time, said Barbara Platz, vice-president of professional services for Pardee Hospital.</p><p>We intend to make this an annual event, she said. Everyone in the cancer care center at the hospital is thrilled that we have a camp.</p><p>The campers had a group photo taken with a framed copy given to each person before they left Sunday following a picnic beside a lake on the Bonclarken property. Many campers approached Fain to get phone numbers for each other so they could stay in touch after everyone went their separate ways, she said.</p><p>Several of them said they are all going to get together once a month for breakfast or something and that’s what I was hoping would happen, Fain said. This kind of support outside of their medical team definitely will benefit them later on. I’m very pleased with how things went in our first year.</p>